5 Porn Stats Parents Just Can’t Ignore

04 Feb 5 Porn Stats Parents Just Can’t Ignore

The 2016 Porn Stats are In

Every January, Pornhub, the largest pornography website on the worldwide web (owned by IT Company Mind Geek) issues porn consumption statistics for the previous year. This is their opportunity to brag to the world about the quantity of pornography consumed on this ONE website for ONE year. It’s fine to be disgusted by what you’re about to read – I know I was. But, it’s more important that we as parents do something as a result. These numbers tell us something very important and it’s this – if I’m not talking to my internet-using children about pornography, then I’m not preparing my children for using the Internet well. Here are five stats every parent should pay close attention to.

12.5 pornographic videos were watched by every human

At least that’s what the porn stats show for the world’s largest pornographic website, displayed in the form of a very well-designed infographic. Afterall, Pornhub knows better than anyone that a picture is much more powerful than words.

I enjoy numbers – my left brain makes sense of the word through data, but, the data provided by Pornhub’s report is a wake-up call to a disturbing reality present in the digital age. This current generation has access to every imaginable and unimaginable sexual act through a small device that fits in their pocket. If porn is the drug, then our smart devices are the needle. And, we usually start handing them out around age 10.

4.6 billion hours of porn was watched on this ONE website

That’s the same length as 5,246 centuries. Mom and dad, please read this very carefully – no child should have unfiltered internet access. If you keep five magazines by the couch, would you dream of including one issue of Hustler? Just one issue? The other four magazines (80%) are clean and clear, so why worry?

As ridiculous as this scenario seems, this is exactly what we’re doing every time we allow young people unfiltered internet access. It’s too vast and seductive for any adult, let alone a 12-year-old. And here’s the kicker: research has shown that our brains actually learn better when they’re sexually aroused. According to Fight the New Drug, “When you add in the focused concentration of searching through pornographic images to find exactly what the user is looking for, and reinforcing what’s being taught with the reward of sexual climax, it creates the perfect conditions for teaching and conditioning the brain.”

That’s right. Porn rewires and reconditions the brain. It causes an altered view of others because many porn addicts start believing the lie that what they see on the screen is how it is in real life. And, when this rewiring starts during adolescence, when a child’s sexual template is vulnerable and forming, then the brain starts to create reward circuitry that has its foundation built on internet pornography.

3,110 Petabytes of porn was consumed

The first time I read this porn stat I thought to myself, “I don’t know what a petabyte is, but it sounds kind of harmless.” The word “peta” evoked images of protestors and small animals. This feeling couldn’t be further from the truth. We typically don’t refer to the hard drive space on our devices in terms of petabytes and for good reason – one petabyte is equivalent to one million gigabytes. The bandwidth consumed on this one website for one year was done at an astounding 6 terabytes/minute.

The United States provides over 40% of the visits to Pornhub

One of the four myths that most parents believe is “my kid is a good kid and just wouldn’t do that.” After over a decade working with junior high students, and counseling a fair number who made various inappropriate online choices, I can tell you that it’s not a matter of good or bad kids. The difference between being awesome and awful online is just one click, and so even good kids can make one bad, life-changing click.

Has your 10-year-old ever seen pornography? Have you looked him or her in the eyes to have a loving, intentional conversation about it? How will you know unless you have consistent and persistent conversations about the word? Saying the word and knowing the word is necessary and incredibly important. If the word “pornography” is known and spoken about matter-of-factly and honestly, then shame’s power is crushed.

I say this phrase often, but I continue to believe that parents who are observant, engaged, and informed often have kids who learn to use their technology well. No matter what the porn stats say! If you’re not sure what to say, don’t worry, we’ve vetted what’s out there and highly recommend two books (the images are clickable!).

Living life to the full! That's why He died and how I try to live. I have an eclectic list of professional experience...CPA, business advisor, youth pastor, development director, now educational resource manager for Covenant Eyes. God shares wild ideas with me about life while I run. I want to show parents how to protect their kids from online dangers, which led to the creation of Protect Young Eyes. How can I help you protect the young eyes in your home?

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Protect Young Eyes is a Christian organization, but we believe the information presented in this website is beneficial to anyone, regardless of religious affiliation. Protecting our children is the right thing for all of us to do.